Operation COSHARE (Covid-19 Occupational Safety & Health and Resource Efficiency), launched in early September by the National Productivity and Competitiveness Council (NPCC), is now moving into high gear in terms of its implementation. This project aims to help the local tourism industry implement and strictly adhere to health standards in the context of the full opening of our borders since October 1. The project also aims to position Mauritius as a sustainable destination for both tourists and foreign investors. Operation COSHARE is a joint initiative of NPCC, the Ministry of Tourism and the Tourism Authority (TA). The project is also supported by the International Labor Office (ILO) and the Partnership for Action in Green Economy (PAGE).
Mass training on health protocols has already started on September 8 for some 1,200 cab drivers based in hotels and at the airport. This training, which took place in several regions of the island, aimed to initiate the cab drivers on the respect of sanitary norms especially in their vehicles. The training focused specifically on the disinfection of the most frequent access points in the vehicles, the wearing of the mandatory mask, the use of disinfectant gel as well as the need to lower the windows and the prohibition of operating the air conditioner during the journey.
In parallel, a training on the protocols established under Operation COSHARE was organized for operators at the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport on Tuesday September 14.
The NPCC is now preparing to turn to other stakeholders in the local tourism industry, in this case the various actors including hoteliers, restaurateurs, boaters, tour operators among others in the implementation of the COSHARE project. An invitation has already been issued to tourism operators following the signing of the agreement between NPCC and TA since September 2.
According to the NPCC Executive Director, Mr. Ashit Gungah, Operation COSHARE is showing a growing interest from local tourism stakeholders. “Through COSHARE, we want to ensure the protection of our visitors as well as our employees and the general public and help the Mauritian tourism industry to restart operations with a new confidence and dynamism,” said the NPCC boss.
For Ashit Gungah, it is important that all stakeholders come together to prepare the tourism industry with the opening of our borders.
The implementation of Operation COSHARE will take place in a very systematic way under the supervision of the ILO, whose expert, Mr. Ganesh Kalyan, ensures the training of trainers. These trainers, who are mostly NPCC consultants as well as TA officers and the Ministry of Tourism, will then go to the field to implement the project. The implementation of Operation COSHARE consists essentially of enforcing sanitary standards in various areas. The participating companies are categorized into ‘clusters’, which will be monitored by the trainers assigned to each ‘cluster’.
Another crucial aspect of the COSHARE project is the ‘Resource Efficiency’ aspect. This aspect emphasizes the efficient use of resources for the smooth running of operations, the aim of which is also to have better business performance and ultimately better productivity in an era marked by a new normality.
It would be useful to recall that the tourism industry has recorded a 99% decrease in the number of arrivals during the first half of 2021 compared to the corresponding period in 2020. The NPCC, whose mandate is to boost productivity in all sectors of the Mauritian economy, has stepped up to the plate through Operation COSHARE to give a boost to the productivity of this industry which is considered the lifeblood of our economy.
